The cavemen have taken over the stage at The Great American Playhouse.
But not for long.
The company’s “The Quest of the Caveman,” which opened Friday, has some contemporary sensibilities about the role of women, organic food, the environment and the like, mixed with the troglodyte lifestyle accented with song and silliness.
Sean MacArthur penned and directed this, the third play for the 8-month-old Oro Valley company. It begins with a couple of primitives from the Schmuck tribe stealing the fire of the Asher tribe. This means war, and Ork (Michael Claridge), the sort-of leader of the Ashers, and his sidekick Grog (Jesus Limon) are ready to attack. Too ready.
In steps the wise elder, Rube (Nick Seivert) who is wise enough to brush Ork aside and put his daughter, Nola (Jacinda Rose Swineheart) in charge. She has, he explains, the “knowledge that tomato is a fruit, and the wisdom to not put it in a fruit salad.”
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They set off to save their world, throwing in such gems as “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” And songs, such as “I Will Survive,” accompanied by a lowering disco ball. And a version of “YMCA,” where the casts spells out (with hand and body motions, a la the Village People) “C-A-V-E.”
There are also some tasty characters — Oog (Randy McDonald), who is committed to a vegetarian diet and saving Earth. And Bobo (Colleen Zandbergen) who grunts through most of the play, and then breaks out into a drop-dead version of the disco hit, “I Love the Nightlife.” And Nola, who is sassy and flirty and much more interested in clubbing (as in nightclub) than leading the tribe before she sees the light.
The play struggled a bit to get to the point, but once there, it sailed along. And the result is an abundance of silliness mixed with very-unlike-melodrama messages about the environment, women, and of the why-can’t-we-all-just-get-along ilk. And it’s done with a cast fully invested in delivering the goods.
The after-show olio was a tribute to Irving Berlin, and the performers — all with strong voices — weren’t gonna mess with that American treasure as they sang such songs as “This is the Army Mr. Jones” and “God Bless America.”
But they were willing to goof it up between songs with such lines as “At first I didn’t like my beard, but now it’s growing on me.” And “Last week I lost the left side of my body, but I’m all right now.”
Yes, goofy. And plenty of fun. That is something The Great American Playhouse is especially dedicated to.
